The Book of Joshua is a very unique book in many ways, but several things stand out in particular to distinguish this period of time in the history of God’s people from others:
- It marks a period of leadership crisis as the most respected and important spiritual leader of all times, Moses, had just passed away. It was not so much a matter of whether God would raise up another leader to lead His people, but that Moses was simply irreplaceable in the mind of the people.
- It also marks the realization of God's promise, the possession of the Promised Land without which there could not be the nation of Israel.
- Amazingly, in spite of the continued complaints and conflicts among God’s people, it was also a rare period of reconciliation and unity.
- The spiritual implication to the Christian life is very vivid in that victory over sin has already been achieved by Christ, just as the land had already been given to the people, but how to claim our victory over sin finds parallel in how the Israelites could actually claim and possess their Promised Land.
(1) What kind of crisis did the death of Moses present to the people of God?
(2) At the beginning of the study of this book, maybe it is helpful to read how God prepared and commissioned Joshua before the death of Moses, including Exodus 17:9ff, 24:13ff; Numbers 14:6ff, 26:65, 27:18; Deuteronomy 3:21ff and 31:1ff. What kind of leadership qualities do you see in Joshua?
(3) Now, at the death of Moses, Joshua was to finish the task commissioned by God and in reiterating this commission, what kind of guarantee did God give him in terms of geography, duration, power and conditions in vv. 3-5? How will you describe such a guarantee? (Would you call it a life-time guarantee or total guarantee?)
(4) Count and see how many times God has repeated the command to be strong and courageous? Why did God have to say this to Joshua so many times? (i.e. What might the implications be?)
(5) Do you think these repetitions really helped Joshua? Why or why not?
(6) In guaranteeing success, God also set conditions. What were the conditions?
(7) What might be the key to being able to be strong and courageous and to obey all the law (v. 8)?
(8) What is meant by meditating on the Book of the Law day and night? What would Joshua have to do in order to do so? What might it look like in your case?
(9) If you have time, why not complete a word study on the word, “meditate”. You may want to use the following chart to help your word study (based on the NIV Concordance):
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How |
Why |
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Gen. 24:63 |
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Jos. 1:8 |
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Ps. 48:9 |
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Ps. 77:12 |
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Ps. 119:15 |
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Ps. 119:23 |
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Ps. 119:27 |
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Ps. 119:48 |
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Ps. 119:78 |
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Ps. 119:97 |
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Ps. 119:99 |
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Ps. 119:148 |
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Ps. 143:5 |
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Ps. 145:5 |
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Ps. 39:3 |
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Ps. 1:2 |
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Ps. 19:14 |
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Ps. 104:34 |
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Does this word study help you gain deeper insight into meditation? If so, how?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how might you apply it to your life?
(1) Upon hearing God’s command and repeated encouragement, what might your response be, if you were Joshua? What was his immediate response?
(2) Back in Numbers 32, Moses gave permission to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh to stay in (and possess) their land east of the Jordan. Now Joshua was to lead the rest of Israel to cross the Jordan and engage in battles to possess the rest of the land. What risk might Joshua be taking in asking them to join and help their brothers?
(3) If they refused, would God’s plan be put into jeopardy? What damage might be done should they refuse?
(4) What reasons might these two and a half tribes have in not being willing to help their brothers?
(5) Do you have any idea, should they agree to help their brothers, how long they would have to leave their children and wives? (See Jos. 22:3 to get an idea.)
(6) How did they respond to Joshua’s request?
(7) What might be the reasons that caused them to agree to make such a big sacrifice?
(8) What did their action mean given it was at the beginning of Joshua’s leadership and at a critical juncture of their journey?
(9) What is the main message to you today and how might you apply it to your life?
(1) Why did Joshua choose to send people to spy on Jericho? Was it a prudent act or a sign of his lack of faith?
(2) As they eventually gave a report of their exploration in v. 24, do you think Joshua had achieved his intended goal of spying?
(3) Archeological findings of the Ancient Near East find parallels in having prostitutes live near the entrance of the ancient cities. What risks was Rahab taking in hiding the two spies of Israel?
(4) What were the reasons given by Rahab in committing this act of treason?
(5) From the reasons given by Rahab, what do we know about the impact of God’s power over the region?
(6) What did Rahab know about the God of Israel? In invoking the name of the God of Israel (the Lord means Yahweh), and by hiding the spies, what spiritual significance did her action have?
(7) Read Matthew 1:5. How did God reward her change of allegiance from her god(s) to Him?
(8) What does the fact that God can even use a prostitute to bring about the deliverance of His people (and the salvation of mankind) say to you?
(9) What is the main message to you today and how might you apply it to your life?
(1) What spiritual significance might the use of the scarlet cord in the deliverance of Rahab have?
(2) How did the deliverance of the entire household of Rahab echo that of the jailer in Acts 16:31?
(3) How does the incidence of Rahab speak to the limitations of patriotism?
(4) What impact might the report of the spies have on Joshua and the people of Israel?
(5) We are often puzzled by the total destruction of these Canaanites by the people of Israel as commanded by God. Why did God not wipe out all the people of Jericho, including Rahab and her household? Was it an exception that God made? Or, was it His principle all along? If so, what might this principle be?
(6) What is the main message to you today and how might you apply it to your life?
(1) What practical purposes did the ark serve in the crossing of the River Jordan?
(2) What spiritual purposes did the ark serve in the crossing of the River Jordan?
(3) What lesson(s) can we learn from this?
(4) Was it important that Joshua be exalted “in the eyes of all Israel”? Why or why not?
(5) Why did Joshua ask the people to consecrate themselves in v. 5? What lesson does it have for us?
(6) Why did the river only stop flowing at (or after) the priests’ feet touched the edge of the water?
(7) Was the Jordan at the stage of flooding at the time or a coincidence?
(8) Reflect on v. 17. How miraculous was this act of God?
(9) How important was this miracle to Joshua and to the people of Israel as a first step of claiming the Promised Land?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how might you apply it to your life?